Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Hütter on Le Guillou on de Lubac on Aquinas

"Le Guillou's remarkable essay. . . . argues that while Aquinas indeed held the natural desire for the vision of God, this affirmation is fundamentally different from, albeit essentially related to, the desire for the supernatural, a desire elicited by the supernatural virtue of hope. The latter desire is fundamentally different because it is supernaturally elicited; however, it is essentially related to the natural desire, because it is that very natural desire (conditional by nature) that is presupposed as well as perfected by the supernaturally elicited desire. Thus Le Guillou will show that rejecting the formula 'natural desire for the supernatur[a]l' in its precise sense does not entail a rejection of Aquinas's teaching at all. On the contrary, on the basis of Aquinas's teaching this formula must be rejected."